Dayana Brunette |
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When she was very young Dayana Brunette lost her father. She remembers putting on her white dress and going to the church, but she can barely remember the man they went to mourn. Her mother did what she could for little Dayana and was able to scrape together enough money to finally enroll Dayana in school at the age of 6 (most Haitian children begin school at 3 years old). January 12th, 2010, seemed like any other day. It was late afternoon and Dayana was jumping rope while her mother visited some friends not far away. At 4:53 p.m. Dayana’s world changed again. Not only did she watch her home crumble, but the house her mother had gone to also collapsed. Dayana’s mother was killed, leaving her seven years old and alone. Her much-older aunt took her in to a tiny cement shack which was already overcrowded with her 4 adult children and 2 grandchildren. Every morning Dayana swept the house, washed the dishes, and hoped her aunt made enough money to send her to school.
When Dayana first came to us she was timid and withdrawn, afraid even to smile. After a few weeks in the H.E.R.O. Transition Home for Orphans Dayana learned what it was to be safe, well-fed, and loved. She still loves to jump-rope, but now her favorite part of the day is afternoon karate class. Dayana enjoys writing and is working hard in her first grade class. Dayana is a different girl from the one who came to us not long ago. Now you can see her each afternoon running around laughing with the other children and she even rivals the boys with her healthy appetite.
